Originally Posted by
chipmaster
I was curious do airlines have a "legal" window of which they won't provide services if you miss a connect?
Also does the window of "legal" connect vary based on airport, airline, and / or season? I assume if you book thru the carrier they only permit their "legal" connect but if you do it thru some third party like Expedia or elsewhere they care little beside the fact ?
If you mean a minimum duration of the connection for risk they are willing to accept, then yes, it's called the Minimum Connection Time (MCT). It is published per airport, with overrides for specific carriers and flights, and may update from time to time as schedules are adjusted.
Buying a ticket from any source (agency or airline) will make sure that the MCT is validated along with the rest of the itinerary so regardless of who sells you the ticket it will always meet MCT. The biggest issue is if there is a schedule change after ticketing.